Grazing Bangkok...say Wat!

Dumb. That's a dumb title. But it's late and I'm tired again. And I just can't learn any freakin' Thai! Phuket krap!

God you can be such a child sometimes Krouzman. Ah go to hell.

Anywho, today was like eating a whole chocolate cake after eating 3/4 of a chocolate cake the day before. Yummy, and, whoa!

I began the day in my awesome guest house, enjoying a yogurt meusli fresh fruit breakfast in this utopian tropical setting. Then I set out for the Grand Palace and surrounding sights.

Beautiful. Super ornate. Check out this shot of the reclining Bhudda, a gold statue maybe 100 feet long and 50 feet high enclosed in a beautiful Wat (temple).

A few favorite moments, both involving kids.

First it's custom to put tiny coins in ceremonial bowls in the Wat that houses the reclining Bhudda. This would have been fun either way, but was made all the more so because I was tailed by the cutest little girl in Thailand.

Second, when I sat outside, a group of kids in their early teens approached me for drugs. No, it was for a school project, or so they said. They asked me simple questions and I responded and it was a hoot. My cowboy hat probably made me look very American. I asked them to teach me how to say their questions in Thai. My attempts were even more of a hoot! We ended the affair with a few group photos.

Then I walked through Bangkok's Chinatown. Chinatown anywhere is crazy. Chinatown in a crazy city is...super crazy. Meandering alleys housing stall after stall of vendors, hawking everything from chilis and greens to sweet smelling flowers to discount price memory cards (damn you Krouzman for wasting your money in Seattle!) to delicious fried foods to more chilis.

I was in heaven. There are few things I enjoy more than floating around markets and old city centers. For real.

Mostly today I grazed, like a cow. Oh yeah, there's some pineapple. 28 cents? No problem. Ooh, three whole fried fish! 60 cents? Well, if you insist. Oh and noodle soup with fish and pork. 60 cents? Yes please! How about some more fried fish, this time ground up and mashed into yummy little balls? 60 more cents? Only if I can also buy a fruit drink from you too. Deal!

Really, all this eating is, well, awesome. Everything has tasted either really good or great. The challenge is pacing yourself just so, so you don't eat too much at once and then have to stop grazing for a few hours. I think I'm getting it down pretty good.

After 3 hours of walking, ogling and grazing amidst urban chaos, hit a local park. The brief rest was a much needed break.

Nearby a few dozen art students were sketching the landscape. A few were having fun pretending their easel was a machine gun. It must be nice living in a peaceful culture that mostly only pretends with that kind of stuff. I guess that's what happens when colonizers decide to skip over your utopia rather than bombing the shit out of you AND your water buffalo.

Anyway, back to the issue at hand, my soaking up of this very rich place. Next I took my third tuk tuk ride in 3 days. These guys drive like they are playing a video game. SO fun. despite the fumes!

We ended up at Siam Square, like the Times Square / Park Ave of Bangkok. Yikes, and well, cool too.


From there, I took the sky train (above ground modern train thingie) to another park, adjacent to Bangkok's weekend market. Whoa nelly! More food,more trinkets, more people, more labarythine alleys...and more fun.

By this point I was stuffed silly, and ready to pass out. I hopped a bus (30 cents) and managed to find my way home. Then ate a yummy dinner here at the Shanti Guest house, and now I'm writing you.

Tomorrow I fly north to Chang Mai. A friend back home said, "Don't fly! Take the 10 hour night train!" Listen sister, the last time I took a 10-hour night train I was 19 and couldn't stop yacking the whole way between Barcelona and Madrid. I'm coughing up the $60 for the 55 minute plane ride, no pun intended.

More to the point, Chang Mai is a much smaller city up North, and it's supposed to be stunning. And, as my good fortune would have it, the city hosts its annual flower festival this weekend. It's supposed to be epic, if you believe my mom, and most everyone else I've spoken too.

Peeps, it is time to go to bed. God I wish I remembered how to say goodbye! OK, I'll cheat and consult my Lonely Planet guide.

Laa kawn!
Roni